Road Rage in Society Today

Road Rage is a rather new research paper topic. The daily stress of driving in traffic has increased due to more road construction projects. The drivers must slow down to merge into one lane or come to a complete stop due to heavy traffic. Aggressive drivers add to the trouble by using excessive speeds to merge at the last minute. More rear-end collisions occur because drivers don't like people cutting in front of them, so they follow too closely behind the vehicle ahead of them. Sometimes, road construction seems to have the phenomenal power to attract the most inconsiderate drivers. Inconsiderate drivers often do not allow people to merge into traffic when it is necessary, causing another unnecessary line of traffic. This new line of traffic usually encourages hot-headed drivers to cross onto the median with the belief that they can get around the road construction. Seeing a bright red sports car with the bass booming is the most aggravating sight. However the blue light flashing behind him in order to pull him over is the best feeling of satisfaction for the other annoyed drivers still sitting and waiting.

Inconsiderate drivers are not limited to those who try to outsmart the road construction. They also include tailgaters that do not seem understand that they are not the only ones trying to get somewhere. Tailgaters often get so close to other cars that the driver can no longer see the headlights behind him. This is an intimidation tactic that causes extremely hazardous road conditions, as well as frustration. For many, one of the most frustrating pet peeves that causes road-rage is the task, or rather, the risk of being on the road with incompetent drivers. Ignorant people swamp highways as if they had no purpose at all in life except to agitate others with their senseless habits of using no turn signal and ignoring mandatory road signs. The general slogan, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse" could not be more correct. The hair-raising boldness of those clueless drivers who religiously slam to a stop at yield signs, yet daringly drifts past every stop sign they see, refashion a highway of capable drivers into a war zone of tempestuous fiends. Exit and acceleration ramps are notorious for the blinker-illiterate, who see themselves as risk takers rather than accident prone. These artless amateurs' inability to follow directions intensely contributes to the transition of respectable citizens to ireful beasts. Yet, again, unreasonably slow drivers fall perfectly into the same incompetent driving habits; for, they bestow the same aggravated reaction of countless others sharing the road. It often seems that the days when time is sparse and traffic lazy, that the slowest people decide to take a drive. Nothing else can infuriate a sane person more than to putter behind "granny" going fifteen miles per hour. Overly careful drivers especially enjoy assuming the authority of the double-wide highways as they indecisively switch back and forth between lanes. Ignorant drivers can reduce even the most decent, law abiding people into raving lunatics.

Excessive speeders are also a factor of road rage. Speeding is defined as exceeding the posted speed limit or driving too fast for conditions. Individuals traveling at speeds high over the speed limit fail to understand the hazards they create for everyone on the road. A crash at 60mph releases more than twice the energy of a crash at 40mph. To maintain such speeds, drivers will weave in and out of traffic outraging, intimidating, and endangering other drivers on the highway. Too often in the news we hear of road rage ending in a violent standoff between drivers. In a time when the "Too fast, Too Furious" lifestyle seems to be so popular, men and women are ignoring the potential dangers of speeding. Everyday drivers are losing their patience with racers who are putting the lives of their families in jeopardy.